What You Need to Know
Priced at $39.99, the Koss KPH40 Utility On-Ear Headphones is Koss's entry in the open back headphones category. With 1,280 buyers rating it at 4.4 stars, it currently sits at #23 of 46 in our rankings. It won't beat the top picks on raw rating, but at 76% below the category average price, it has a different value proposition.
Fit and Build
Headsets live or die on long-session comfort. The high rating suggests the clamp force and ear cushion design work for most heads.
The Numbers
- Brand: Koss
- Price: $39.99 (well below the $169.00 category average)
- Amazon rating: 4.4 of 5.0
- Reviews: 1,280
- Category rank: #23 of 46 in open back headphones
- Cheaper in category: 6 products
- Higher-rated in category: 25 products
- More-reviewed in category: 23 products
From the Reviews
A 4.4-star average from 1,280 buyers means most are happy, but a meaningful slice - roughly 15-20% - has at least some complaint. The pattern in the negative reviews matters more than the average itself.
Cheap vs. Capable
At $39.99, the Koss KPH40 Utility On-Ear Headphones sits well below the $169.00 category average. 6 options are cheaper and 39 are more expensive.
The category leader is the OneOdio Hi-Res Studio Monitor Headphones ($37.99, 4.4★, 73,430 reviews). Pricing is essentially the same, so the rating and review-count edge tilts in favor of the top pick.
Higher-rated options in this category:
- Audio-Technica ATH-M50X Studio Headphones - $159.00, 4.6★ (33,300 reviews) · Higher rated
- beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro Headphones - $199.99, 4.6★ (19,824 reviews) · Higher rated
- beyerdynamic DT 990 Pro 250 Ohm - $179.99, 4.6★ (19,824 reviews) · Higher rated If pure price is the filter, the cheapest is the Eigsupia Open Ear Bluetooth Headphones at $14.99.
Should You Buy It?
Probably yes , with a caveat. The rating is strong and the price is reasonable. Just confirm the specific features you care about - connectivity, switches, ports, whatever - match what's listed.
Best fit for:
- Budget shoppers who want functional open back headphones without overspending
Bottom Line
8.2/10
Not a top-tier rank, but the price-to-rating combo is genuinely good. A reasonable choice if the top picks don't fit your budget.